Since I no longer work, except for my lilo consignment furniture job (5 hours twice a month), I have joined several ladies clubs, if you will. They are filled with ladies such as myself except maybe they haven't fallen on their heads. There are quite a few of us out here that evidently have a lot of free time and some of us appear to be just lookin' for some trouble to get into.
My DAR chapter (or as Sister jokingly refers to it; "Ladies of Fine Lineage") in Hooterville is one of my organizations. Our chapter would be more aptly named the RDAR as in Rowdy Daughters of the American Revolution because it is filled with some crazy fun wild women! Dont get me wrong, we have a smatterin of the prim and proper blue hairs but for the most part these women know how to party with a capital P!
We had our annual scholarship luncheon at a member's grand estate last week. Its a faaancy affair where we all try to look and act like the fine Southern ladies that we are. Its mighty hard for some of us. I took Sister and Anne as my guests so they could see just how much fun my DAR ladies can be (lots of fun, especially with the help of a bottomless wine glass)! This is the event we all eagerly look forward to each year!
When we got there, we managed to snag 3 seats at the table set up in the kitchen. Not only were we able to sit at the 'kitchen table', but several of the same ladies (related to each other) who sat there last year were there again! Yee Haw! A rowdy girl's reunion was in the makin!
At this scholarship luncheon we each have our very own 'server' who stands behind us and serves each of us at precisely the same time, course after course. This is exactly the sort of thing, a lady such as myself could get used to. It is just the neatest thing eva and goes a long way towards making us all feel truly special. The kids serving are some of the scholarship applicants and the ones who aren't, think we are such a fun group and they enjoy it so much they do it every year (except perhaps for the cute boy serving Miss Tipsy Cougar at our table who we thought at one point might require duct tape to keep her hands to herself). But the kids were super cute and unfailingly polite. After they got us fed, they had their own pizza/swimming party out back in the pool house. Reward well deserved!
I was somewhat surprised at our Christmas party to find several of the ladies attending were "packin heat" AND have their CHL. Im tellin ya, these ladies are my inspiration! I find it very uplifting to know they can take care of themselves in an emergency and yet at the same time be every bit a fine Southern lady. I do, however find it somewhat disconcertin to know they themselves could cause such an emergency! But what I really love is, not one of them acts like a frail little flower that needs some big burly man to protect them. Sister and I were raised to be independent and thats a good thing for all women, especially today. But if you took these women at face value, one might totally think they were on their way to a quiltin B or a knittin circle (not that there is anything wrong with that). The point is that looks are truly deceivin! Im proud to be a member of a club filled with such empowered women who speak their minds, take care of themselves and know how to laugh and also shoot a fly off a speed limit sign at 100 yards:-)
Occasionally in polite conversation we discuss our ancestor that secured our place in the National DAR. Im always slightly intimidated by the ladies who proudly wear wide and long shoulder ribbons bedecked with many bars and pins signifying their very own Revolutionary War heroes. There are many rules for wearing these ribbons and the insignia. You must only wear it to certain events and you certainly cant wear it into a bar. I know that might sound a little odd, like why would anyone want to wear their DAR ribbon into a bar in the first place. Well, this one lady at our rowdy table said she wore hers into a bar at the hotel where the DAR convention was being held and she was really laid into for it. Yes, there are lots of rules one must adhere to. Why, I dont even think you can carry an adult beverage in your hand while wearing your insignia. I reckon you have to find someone else to tote your glass of wine to wherever it is you need it to go. So, to totally alleviate these possible circumstances, I do not have a ribbon. I could have one but it would only have one bar. Plus, I know I would screw it up and do something wrong so Im better off not wearing anything that could get me into trouble.
Maybe I could locate a few more ancestors who made illustrious contributions to the war effort but heck, it took me several years of research just to find one and I haven't quite been up to doing another search just yet. When I located Col. John Ambler you can imagine my delight. A colonel! Oh my gosh I could scarcely wait to read what all he did in the war. After contacting the National DAR and finding another relative who used John Ambler to gain membership, I had my answer. Col. John Ambler didn't not save a town or capture the enemy, no! He donated a big mutton to the cause! A big mutton..... I couldn't believe it. I mean, I guess its good because they had to eat but sheesh.... He was a colonel for crying out loud. I found out he became a colonel during the next war.
My UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy) meetings are always on a Saturday and it seems like I am always scheduled to work those particular Saturdays, darnit. I love those ladies, too. They are slightly more reverent and hold themselves in a more dignified way but we manage to have good times. My UDC ladies just seem to be more invested in the cause, taking it more seriously, perhaps because we lost and it appears some battles still go on to this day. Lots of hurt feelings are still out there. I truly believe if these women had been allowed to fight in the Civil War, we might have won. I have never known such passionate women. Women in UDC chapters all over just seem to be this way, unfailingly loyal. That is a quality you dont find too often today so Im grabbing hold of them with my whole heart! I am even Facebook Friends with UDC ladies I have never actually met and I can say they are all an inspiration. Oh, and Im happy to say that my Civil War ancestor actually fought in the war. Im happy he did more than, say, serve hot dogs and lemonade on the sidelines to battle observers.
I dont wear the ribbon with bars for this group either. There is even more rigid etiquette for wearing the UDC ribbons as well as the placement of the bars and pins and I know I would get it wrong. Yes, its better I go ribbon-less and admire the ladies who can pull it off so seamlessly.
But I salute them all. Heres to my DAR and UDC Sisters! The best in the land!
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